Tales of Demigods
by blake.huynh.777
Summary: Long after the Ragnarok, the world has changed significantly. No more gods, only human remains. Then rise the Demigods - those human who have obtained supernatural powers through the utmost tragedies of their lives - due to the cruelty of humanity itself. This story revolves around the Demigods' conflicts through a girl's journey, to save the world and discover what lies beyond.
1. Intro

"...The Unholy War has now reached its end...

Blood was shed, and lives was taken...

Standing in front of the Hall of Honor...  
Piercing their gazes toward each other...  
Everyone has fallen except them two...  
Those whom have slain the gods, they do..."

"He was the mage cloaked with darkness...  
The embodiment of sinister and hatred...  
The one known as the rebirth of Odin...  
Whom shall turn the World Tree to nothing..."

"She was the warrior covered with light...  
The embodiment of justice and might...  
With the sword surpasses even gods...  
She cuts through time and alike what's not..."

* * *

Asgard, 30 years ago...

The Great Hall of Valhalla is covered with blood and corpses. A gigantic spell circle is constantly spinning above the Yggdrasil. The eclipse has casted the sunlight out of the Nine Worlds.

None have survived the battle but two. A young man, and a young girl, both standing still in front of The Throne of Hlidskialf.

The man has the look of total darkness. A young mage with pale skin and jet-black hair. He is well-covered in black robes and cloak, with odd golden patterns along their seams, all drenched with blood.

But the most sinister part is his eyes. They are as deep as bottomless black holes, yet scorching with the flame of rage and hatred. As if they would swallow everything he looks at, and then burn them down for eternity.

The girl is, yet, nothing but total opposite.

A beautiful and delicated young lady in the graceful armor of silver, firmly holding her brilliant sword in her left hand, while looking straight into the mage's eyes without fear. Her azure eyes and long sky-blue hair shine under the sunlight, as if they were born to ward off the darkness coming from her opponent.

_- Why... why did it end up like this...? Why did you choose to oppose me?! Have you forgotten what they've done to us?! _

Said the black mage with his frustration.

_- Shut up! - _the girl shouts_ - Have you ever thought what would've been... if they were like you... like us... Stop this madness! Don't drown yourself deeper into this unmeaning hatred!_

_- Never!_

His voice is filled with rage, as he starts to blame the girl.

_- Feeble! Weak! Don't you remember how weak we were then, and how painful fate we have suffered because of being weak? Gods or human... It does not matter as we have thought it would be...!_

His painful words pierce her soul.

_-... please... Don't say it..._

_- I was... No! We were all wrong! Wrong! From the very beginning!_

The mage cried into the dark sky with agony. Like he has just realized there was no one to blame but themselves in the first place.

_- The gods were right... This filthy world is beyond cure..._ - said himself with hatred -_ I shall end it with my hand, and none of you shall ever be able to stop me!_

The black mage takes out a radiating orb from his robe of darkness. The girl's expression turns worse, as she immediately thrusts herself forward, trying to strip the orb from his possession.

An evil grin appears on the young mage's face. He levitates himself into the air to dodge the attack, then his attire disperses and turns into a thick layer of black mist. It quickly covers their entire surroundings and solidifies into numerous shards, showering down where the girl is standing.

The girl is not losing to him one bit. She gracefully avoids the assault with her unmatched speed and launches her counterattacks every time she has a chance. However, none of them have the chance to reach their target.

The battle becomes fiercer and fiercer, yet none of the two get the upper hand. The gigantic spell circle above the sky then starts to fade away when the sun slowly makes its return. If this keeps up, his plan will be ruined in the matter of minutes. A faint smile shows up on the warrior girl's face.

Then comes the demonic grin from the mage.

He suddenly throws the orb toward the girl. Its radiating light dazzles her eyes for a brief moment. It was no more than a blink of an eye, but it's more than enough for the mage to pierce his shard of darkness through his opponent.

It's fatal strike, too much for a girl to withstand the fight anymore, no matter how strong she is. The girl collapses and coughes up lots of blood.

_- It ends... here...!_

The mage grins, as he takes up the orb and raises it up toward the fading spell circle. It stops spinning gradually, then brilliantly shines after taking the enormous amount of energy from the orb. A gigantic black hole appears above the Yggdrasil, and starts sucking the reality into that bottomless void.

The World Tree has now reached its end...

However, someone just doesn't allow it...

The girl rips out her left shoulder plate, revealing a strange seal that roughly resembles a pendulum clock on her arm. Energy starts to overflow from that seal, crystalizes and lights up her body. Time begins to freeze itself according to her will. All of her injuries are cured instantly, as she grasps her sword once more and destroys the orb before the mage's surprise.

The orb is crushed into 7 pieces and falls down to Midgard. The girl quickly grabs one of those pieces and holds it firmly in her hand. Time then gets back to its normal flow. The spell circle and the black hole, both vanish into thin air. No more eclipse, either. Only warming sunlight remains.

*utterly surprised*

_- How could you...? Don't tell me you've already... No! It's not possible! You've got nothing left to pay for it!_

*silently standing, until her crystalized body started to crumble, then said with crystalized voice*

_- Without this, you won't be able to harm this world once more. I will escape with it... to a place your hand cannot reach..._

*realized what happened, then laughed with insanity*

_- Hah hah hah! You think you can escape with that body of yours? Nonsense! Even if you could... No matter where you go... No matter where you hide... Even at the end of hell, you shall never be able to escape from me! The pieces, I shall find them all, and this time none shall be able to stop me from cleansing this filthy world!_

*smiled faintly, then started to glow*

_- There is a place, where you won't be able to reach, until the time has come..._

*suddenly realized her intention, then immediately tried to take back the orb's piece with all of his remain*

_- I will escape to the future...!_

The girl vanishes with the orb's piece after finishing her words, leaving behind the mage...

...and his own painful laugh of insanity.

* * *

"Then left the mage before the Hall...  
He was trapped there, and all alone...  
Without the Core, his power's away...  
The world's now safe, until that day..."


	2. Chapter 1 - Lenneth (part 1)

"Without the Core, his power's away...  
The world's now safe, until that day..."

* * *

_- ... And that's how the Unholy War ended. Your task today is to write down what you've learned from this poem. I'll be taking your essays at the end of the day. Is there anything you want to ask?_

No hand were raised. The old teacher closes his textbook. The poem was so deep it left the kids confusing. But it was indeed a great poem, as if they could actually witness the flow of history through their teacher's reading voice. Except for one girl...

*Smack!*

_- Ouch! That's hurt!_ -she yells -_ Who've just... did... that...?_

The little girl rapidly lowers her tone when she saw her teacher's unsatisfied eyes. She was sleeping the whole time since the beginning of today's class.

_- You were listening while sleeping I assume...?_ - the teacher holds his textbook firmly on the hands, which he just used to smack on her head a second ago

_- Eh heh heh... I've already read it at home a couples of time... so..._ - she slowly turns her eyes away from his_  
_

_- Oooh... So you must really really know it well, right Lenneth?_ _Then 1 more essay focused on the Golden Era, with details and self-opinions! No buts about it!_

_- But..._

_- Did I make myself clear enough?_

Lenneth makes a sulking face and starts to write her essays right away, like she wants to tell him _"Fine! I'll do it! Just watch!"._ The old teacher lets out a small sigh, then goes back to his desk, opens up another textbook to read...

* * *

After a short while of non-stopped writings, Lenneth drops the pen and gives it a rest. She turns her azure eyes toward the teacher. He seems to be at his middle-age. Looking at his hoary head and his worn-out jacket, various thoughts slowly come to her mind, along with the hot breezes of mid summer...

_Jericho Johannes... Once the Political Advisor of the Marve Empire, now a nameless teacher of a town in the middle of nowhere. Life sure is harsh, just like mom said..._

_Well, it's thanks to him that we can get a proper education. I mean, who in the world would teach a bunch of poor farmers' kids like us for free, and for life? I really don't think there would be anyone but him. Sure he could be "a little bit" harsh sometimes, especially on me, since I'm his first student afterall. But I know, it was all for our sakes. Yep._

_The thing is, what did he have to go through with his life? I mean, from a Political Advisor of an empire down to a mere town's teacher? It's gotta be a joke, or that empire is nothing but a bunch of idiots. _

_But anyway, it's thanks to their stupidity that we can have such a great scholar to teach us. There seems to be nothing in this world that he doesn't know about. Just look at this huge library, and the shelves, and the books. You gotta be a real maniac or a genius to read and understand all of these books. Heh, maybe Jericho was both, then..._

*giggle*

_It's hot...! No doubt, since today is the first day of June, the first day of summer. It's gonna be hotter and hotter in no time. Dammit..._

_It's been 10 years, since he came to this little town, huh...? I can't remember that much, but I'm sure it was my 3rd birthday my mom convinced him to stay and to teach me and the kids. They even built this library up the hill for him to live in too. Then I became his first student. He taught me quite alot, and my grade was... Nah, I don't want to talk about it, not now..._

_Speaking of which, today is also my 13rd birthday. Mom must be preparing a small celebrating meal at home. Let's see... Lester, Alan, May, Annie, Vivi... Dunno if I forgot anyone to invite, hmmm..._

_Mom's gonna make me a new hairdo too. I want a short big hair braid at the end just like her. It looks so beautiful. Mine is not as long and silky as hers to do it yet though, but soon it will be. Can't wait for that!_

_People usually say that mom and I resemble each other alot. We ______both have the same beautiful azure eyes, and beautiful long sky-blue hair, and nearly the same faces. She's kinda short for her age too. The only difference they can tell is our figures. Figures..._

_*_looks down at her chest*

_But I'm turning 13 today, in other word, today is the day I'm no longer a kid. I can do whatever I like, go wherever I want, and most of all, __I'm gonna be as beautiful and elegant as mom in no time. They're gonna get bigger too! Definitely! Yeah, definitely..._

___Haah... Summer... why does it have to be so hot...?_

* * *

*Smack!*

- Ouch!

* * *

It's already past noon. The sun is starting to fall. Townspeople should be coming back from their works during this time of the day, as well as the students at the uphill library.

_- Be careful on the way home, kids! And don't forget to prepare for tomorrow class, okay?_

Jericho says goodbye to his students, then suddenly:

_- It's done! I'm going home! G'bye now! See ya!_

Lenneth tried to catch him off-guard by throwing him her paper as quick as she could and runs home immediately. But Jericho's hand was faster. He grabbed her left arm right when she was about to get away. Afterall, he was too familiar with this trick, since the first time Lenneth used it.

_- Let me see..._ - Jericho fixes his old glasses with the other hand, then starts to read - _Hmmm... Good, and where is the other one?_

_- What do you mean "other one"? -_ Lenneth tries to play innocent _- It's all of today's work isn't it?_

_- The Golden Era essay I believe?_

_- Eh heh heh..._

Lenneth turns her head away with an awkward smile on her lips. Jericho lets out a small sigh like usual, kneels down then softly smacks on her head with the papers. It makes Lenneth surprised a little, because he usually does it with thick textbooks, which hurts like hell.

_- Alright, I'll let it slides, just for today. Counts it as my present._ _Happy birthday, Lenneth._

He smiles. Lenneth holds her head with her eyes wide opened, for a while, then she crosses her arms and starts sulking:

_- What a cheap birthday present, hmph!_

_"She was expecting something bigger..." _Jericho thought so. Then he notices the cloth covering her left shoulder is getting loose. Under the cloth is a white weird tattoo, which roughly resembles a pendulum clock.

_- Be careful, this is not something you want people to find out..._

He said with somewhat serious tone.

_- Why do I have to keep covering this anyway, it's not like I AM a Demigod or something...?_

_- It's not something people would know that much about. I've already taught you, remember? During the Dark Era, Demigods went rampage on every corner of Midgard, which terrorized the land so badly that people see them as nothing but demons. And their trademarks was the Demigod Seals, the cursed tattoo on their bodies. You don't want to be treated as demon too, do you?_

Lenneth rapidly shakes her head.

_- There! _- Jericho fixes and tightens the cloth so it won't easily fall off again - _It's getting late, you should start going home by now if you don't want to miss your mom's cookings. Don't forget to bring me the cake tomorrow, okay?_

_- Heheh, not gonna happen... Then I'm off now!_ _See ya tomorrow!_

She grinned, then ran off with her hand waving. Jericho answered it with a small handwave also...

* * *

The sun is still up the hill, but the sunlight is fading bit by bit. Lots of rain clouds are coming closer. It's rare to see the sky this cloudy in the summer around here.

Jericho looks up to the strange weather, like he is waiting for something...


End file.
